Joining the big leagues

Former CEO teaches Mount students tips on finding – and keeping – a dream job

September 07, 2017

NEWBURGH, N.Y. -

Ben Carpenter, a former Wall Street CEO, presented The Bigs Career Exploration Program to a packed Mount Saint Mary College auditorium on Wednesday, September 6.

Former Wall Street CEO Ben Carpenter revealed the secrets to landing a great job in a competitive market to eager Mount Saint Mary College students on Wednesday, September 6.

Carpenter gave his time-tested tips for success to a standing room only crowd of about 200 students during The Bigs Career Exploration Program. Derived from the pages of Carpenter’s book of the same name, the program is designed to educate and motivate students to take the first steps in their careers, based on stories and lessons from Carpenter's time as an entrepreneur and corporate CEO.

The Bigs Career Exploration Program had its genesis in a text message Carpenter sent to his daughter, Avery. When Avery sent Carpenter a draft of an email asking her new job to delay her start date by one week, “I immediately responded ‘do not send – more to follow’ and began furiously typing 22 bullet points on everything Avery needed to know to survive and thrive in the work world. Then I kept writing, and the result was the book The Bigs.”

One the most important points from his book, Carpenter explained, is “the surest path to professional success is to do what you’re good at.”

“The key is to not blindly follow your passion,” he said. “Rather, develop a passion for something you have a talent for.”

Through engaging content and real-life scenarios, the Bigs Project also showed students how to:

Find internships and jobs, and stand out as an employee

Set up informational interviews and convert them into job opportunities

Develop leadership and show initiative that will result in a promotion

Have fun while working hard to achieve hopes and dreams

The talk was sponsored by the Career Center, the Mount’s Student Business Association, and the First Year Experience (FYE) program on campus.